Mississippi State’s defensive front gave Alabama all it wanted and more, unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide’s unit returned the favor. Head coach Nick Saban witnessed Alabama’s defense pitch its second consecutive shutout, while limiting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and Mississippi State to 169 yards of offense.
Sophomore linebacker Dylan Moses and redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Quinnen Williams each totaled six tackles, to lead the team.
Both would also collect one sack and for Williams, the Birmingham native along with Isaiah Buggs recorded two tackles for loss.
Fitzgerald was sacked five times and the Tide also forced a turnover – en route to earning its 10th victory of the season, despite its offense scoring just 24 points. The quartet of Buggs, Xavier McKinney, Mack Wilson and Raekown Davis all had five tackles apiece. Mississippi State could not function on third down, as the Tide allowed only one conversion on 13 attempts.
Offensively, on the other hand, Alabama had a letdown.
Granted, the Bulldogs have an exceptional front seven but the Tide’s offensive line struggled to protect Tua Tagovailoa. He suffered interceptions in back-to-back weeks, seeing how he tossed his second pick against the Bulldogs. The sophomore quarterback was sacked four times and took a direct shot to his right quad muscle, which sidelined him during the fourth quarter.
He completed 14 of 21 passes for 164 yards with one touchdown and one pick.
Josh Jacobs carried the torch for the Tide’s running backs against Tennessee and the junior answered the call again versus Mississippi State. Jacobs totaled 97 yards rushing with one touchdown on 20 carries, while averaging nearly five yards per attempt.
Irv Smith, Jr led all receivers from his tight end spot with five catches for 70 yards.
Jerry Jeudy brought in six passes for 45 yards – including a 13-yard reception in the second half that placed him at 929 receiving yards at the time, which allowed him to surpass the 2008 freshman performance from Julio Jones that was 924 yards.
Jacobs had two catches for 12 yards, with his longest grab resulting in a 14-yard score.
It was not the finest outing for the Tide, but Nick Saban will take the win as the team now prepares for the Citadel next week at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 11:00 am CT.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
